Central Banking
NY Fed’s Tracy: 'Great Recession' distinguished by severity
New York Federal Reserve executive vice-president Joseph Tracy says moniker of Great Recession attributed to severity not length of downturn
Government failures aided housing bust, says FDIC’s Bair
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation chair Sheila Bair says government-encouraged risk-taking created misaligned incentives in mortgage lending
ECB’s Bini Smaghi pays tribute to Padoa-Schioppa
European Central Bank executive board member Lorenzo Bini Smaghi discusses the late Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa’s vision for the eurosystem
Carry-trade inflows open to vicious circles, say Shin, Plantin
Centre for Economic Policy Research study shows interaction between capital inflows and monetary policy might destabilise carry trade
UK Treasury Committee calls on FSA to disclose details of banks’ pay
UK’s Treasury Committee chairman Andrew Tyrie asks FSA chief to disclose remuneration of 'high-end' employees; says disclosure in aggregated form will protect competitiveness of financial firms
Sovereign funds set to enter an active phase: State Street’s Nugée
Sovereign wealth funds ready to tackle postponed investment decisions and portfolio changes having ridden out crisis with a passive management strategy
Budapest can muscle in on rate-setting council, but will not control policy: Simor
National Bank of Hungary governor András Simor says even if the Hungarian government gets its way on the appointment of external rate-setters, appointees will have deliver on the central bank’s goals
Ivory Coast defaults on $2.3 billion eurobond payment
Ivory Coast fails to make January 31 deadline on payment to credit holders; analyst says political situation must be addressed before payment can be made
Australia’s McKibbin could miss out on third term
Treasurer Wayne Swan suggests Reserve Bank of Australia external board member Warwick McKibbin will not be reappointed for third five-year stint
Israel’s Eckstein on closing employment gap
Bank of Israel deputy governor Zvi Eckstein discusses policies to help improve employment of Israel’s Arab population
Bank of Canada paper on exposure of foreign shocks
Bank of Canada study examines Canadian economy’s exposure to global economic developments
Bank of England - Asset Purchase Facility Report (Fourth Quarter 2010)
Bank of England Fourth Quarter 2010 Asset Purchase Facility Report shows Bank made first purchase in secured commercial paper
IMF paper identifies Brazilian interest rate regime switch
Fund study says Brazil’s relatively low interest rate level and lack of volatility are owing to regime changes
Central Bank of Egypt advises banks to close amid continuing protests
Some banks in Egypt close on Sunday and Monday on central bank guidance; Moody’s downgrades country on fears over political situation
EU auditors issue recommendations on ECB recruitment procedures
European Court of Auditors says European Central Bank must provide further documentation of recruitment processes; central bank responds with launch of new recruitment manual planned for end of 2011
Bank’s Weale explains thinking behind vote for hike
Bank of England external rate-setter Martin Weale says fear of higher inflation expectations becoming ingrained is real
Pakistan adopts wait-and-see tack despite high inflation
State Bank of Pakistan, buoyed by improvement in government borrowing, current account surplus, thwarts expectations of rate hike
Bank Negara Malaysia promotes three directors to assistant governor
Malaysia’s central bank appoints Donald Joshua Jaganathan, Abu Hassan Alshari bin Yahaya and Marzunisham bin Omar to assistant governor
Fed, Greenspan blamed for crisis by bulk of crisis commission
Six of ten members point finger at weak regulation and lack of awareness as to the goings-on in markets as causes of the crisis; four dissent, saying under-regulation claims overstated
Thailand’s Trairatvorakul on policy direction in 2011
Bank of Thailand governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul calls for government and private sector to assist in macroeconomic stability in 2011
RBNZ’s Bollard on international and domestic risks in 2011
Reserve Bank of New Zealand governor Alan Bollard identifies key risks to New Zealand economy in 2011
BoJ minutes shows divergence on QE readings
Bank of Japan rate setting minutes show policy board disputed significance of evidence on monetary stimulus programme
Central Bank of West African States close Ivory Coast offices
Ivory Coast offices of central bank shut; interim governor Jean-Baptiste Compaore says attempts to requisition central bank’s offices in violation of monetary union treaty
Fiscal policy bolsters monetary policy: Central Bank of Turkey paper
Central Bank of Turkey study shows sound fiscal policy can help achieve active monetary policy